The Articles of Faith #2

"We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression."

God gives us commandments.  Most notably, the Ten Commandments, but there are many others.  God gives us commandments and expects us to live by those standards.  When we disobey, God is displeased; but when we follow His commandments He is happy with us.

There is a time in the future (after we leave this earth) when we will all come before Jesus Christ and be judged.  The Book of Mormon prophet, Alma, teaches that we will "be judged according to [our] works".  If we have done good  in this life (kept the commandments, served God), then we will "be restored unto that which is good".  But if our works have been not good, or "evil", then we will be rewarded accordingly.  Alma then explains how to make sure our "works" are good: "If [you have] repented of [your] sins, and desired righteousness until the end of [your] days, even so [you] shall be rewarded unto righteousness" (Alma 41:3-6). 

This is what it means in the second Article of Faith by saying we "will be punished for [our] own sins".  God sets forth eternal laws, and violation of those laws brings sure punishment.  The only way to overcome this is through repentance and faith on the Lord Jesus Christ.  We do not believe that we will be punished for the mistakes of our fathers but for our own sins and transgressions, based on decisions we have made.

I know that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is available to everybody.  I know that obedience to the commandments of God, as revealed through His prophets in ancient and modern days, will bring blessings in this life and eternal joy in the life to come.

for more on the Articles of Faith, see http://mormon.org/articles-of-faith/.

"If Ye Love Me"

Christ lives.  I know that.  Through living prophets, He has restored His church to the earth.  Along with that church were restored some of Christ's "plain and precious" doctrines that were lost to the world (1 Nephi 13:40).  These were not lost all at once but over time, after God's priesthood authority was lost.  One of these deals with obedience.  Obedience is key to fulfilling God's purposes.  God knows what will make us happy and he gives us commandments to help us.  He gives us these commandments through prophets (See Amos 3:7).  When we follow the commandments we see the blessings God has promised us and we please our Father in Heaven.

This Principle can be seen in earthly laws.  When driving up to an intersection you could ignore the legal traffic restrictions and drive right past a stop sign.  But in doing this you're taking the chance of a hefty fine, costly damage to your vehicle, and even bodily harm to yourself or your passengers.  The laws are there to protect us.  God's laws are the same way.

  I know obedience is essential to fulfilling God's will for us.  I know He loves us and gives us commandments for a reason.  I beleive the words of Christ when He said "If ye love me, keep my commandments" (John 14:15).